Joel challenged us tonight to recognize that holiness isn’t about being perfect; it’s about saying yes to the invitation for a journey.  When we say yes to the journey, we manage to find God in the unexpected. Think about monumental moments in your life – did you expect those to happen? When did you meet your best friend? Did you know they were going to be your best friend when you met them?

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“Does He have your permission to love you as you are right now? He does love you, regardless of your answer, but there’s something about our hearts that can hear about God’s love and still not give God permission to access our hearts. Here is one question – it’s the question of your life and your eternity: Does God have permission to love you as you are right now? Not you better, not you holier, not you funnier… does God have permission to love you right now, as you are right now?”

To kick off programming, our host, Chris Padgett, encouraged us all to invite God to come into our hearts and accept His offer of restoration this weekend.

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Jen Ryan is a Steubenville veteran who is joining our team this year as a counselor, and she will be available to those looking for someone to talk to. This is her first year in that role, but she has been a prayer minister and brought teens as their Youth Minister in the past. Her first conference was back in 2008. Jen currently serves as Pastoral Associate at Church of the Magdalen in St. Louis City. She loves reading, writing, and drinking coffee, and she was kind enough to answer some of our questions! Continue reading

Chris Padgett – Host

Chris is a popular speaker, musician, and author who has traveled around the world for over 20 years giving concerts, talks, parish missions and retreats to all ages about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. He currently teaches with Catholic Distance University. He and his wife, Linda, began a nonprofit ministry to encourage, equip, and empower families and marriages. The Padgetts live in Central New York in a nine sided home with a donkey, goats, chickens, and too many rabbits. To learn more about Chris, check out www.chrispadgett.com.
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